Elephant’s Memory
Produced by John & Yoko
Elephant’s Memory
Gary Van Scyoc: Bass, Vocals
Rick Frank: Drums, Vocals, Percussion
Wayne “Tex” Gabriel: Guitar, Vocals
Adam Ippolito: Keyboards, Vocals
Stan Bronstein: Saxophone, Vocals
John Lennon: guitar, vocals
Yoko Ono: vocals
Produced by John & Yoko
I'm on a freedom special
Racin' on through the night
Bustin' through the jailhouse walls
Watch my people fight
You can't see me runnin'
'Cause I ain't got no light
I got some information
Everything's gonna be all right
Liberation special
Movin' on through the night
Liberation special
Turnin' darkness into light
Ad-man steals our culture
And sells it on back to me
But I ain't paying no money
To buy back what is free
Tear gas makes my eyes run
But it don't make me cry
Only thing that hurts me
Is to see my brothers die
Liberation special
Movin' on through the night
Liberation special
Turnin' darkness into light
Time to make your mind up
I said it's time to take a stand
Time to come together
You know the power's in your hand
You can jump aboard
We got room for you
You can jump aboard
I said that we got room for you, you, you, you
Liberation special
Movin' on through the night
Liberation special
Turnin' darkness into light
Collared greens and strychnine rice
Chicken feather stew
Let me take you by the hand
You can lick it too
Silver hair and shiny eyes
And brains like scrambled eggs
Rock 'n' roll in Sunday school
You dance on skinny legs
You don't know where I'm coming from
You don't know where I've been
And Charlie if you're lookin' to mess around
You're messin' with the baddest of the mean
You know what I mean
Don't mess with Mr. Inbetween
Just keep your distance friend
Mess with my life and it's the end
They all call me Mr. Softee
But my name is Tastee Freeze
Every night I prey to you, darlin'
Down on bended knee
Sittin' on the jail house floor
Thinkin' just of you
O my Lord, I do declare
I grew and inch or two
You don't know where I'm coming from
You don't know where I've been
And Charlie if you're lookin' to mess around
You're messin' with the baddest of the mean
You heard my story, not too much to tell
So now that I've complained
Let me give you one more side of my complete scene
I'll talk to you in a different language
And I hope maybe you'll understand
Listen...
You don't know where I'm coming from
You don't know where I've been
And Charlie if you're lookin' to mess around
You're messin' with the baddest of the mean
Mama don't want me for a son
And my papa he said that I'm a filthy bum
And sister said boy you flipped your lid
But I ain't sorry 'bout what I did
I left my home 'bout age fourteen
My whole life's been a crazy dream
If they'd been right 'bout what they said
I'd been freaked off, bombed out, stoned out, ribbed out
Outa my head
Outa my head
Outa my, outa my, outa my head
I got the crying, the black sheep blues
Ain't got nothin' left to lose
But I never learned the rules
But I got the right to choose
I've been hypnotized and proselytized
And thrown right into jail
I don't know what I did
But I couldn't raise that bail
Now the warden he said boy
You done your time
But haven' no money
Was my only crime
That's my life
And it may seem hard
But I wouldn't trade it for your fancy car
If they'd been right 'bout what they said
I'd been freaked off, stoned off, blown off, jacked off
A long gone dead
A long gone dead
A long gone, long gone, a long gone dead
I got the crying, the black sheep blues
Ain't got nothin' left to lose
But I never, no I never, no I never never learned the rules
But I got the right to choose
I got the crying, the black sheep blues
Ain't got nothin' left to lose
But I never, no I never, no I never never learned the rules
But I got the right to choose
But I got the right to choose
I got the right to choose
But I got the right to choose
The right to choose
I got the right to choose
We got the right to choose
Way up in New York City
In 1972
Lots of folks we're cryin' out
That rock 'n' roll was through
The Anderson was boarded closed
All year there'd been no show
Then one night it opened up
The the sounds of Chuck 'n Bo
Well now all the people
Came from miles around
The the funky lower east side
The catch that rockin' sound
And the Angels brought their brothers
Sandy, Bill and Flash
And with them were some real close friends
Crystal, meth and hash
Singing hey Chuck Berry
Singing hey Bo Diddley
Come on everybody
Here come Chuck
Here come Bo
Everybody rockin', daddy, go cat, go, go, go
Now Bo went on and did a set
That made the people roar
They danced and shouted
"Hey Bo Diddley, come on and give us more!"
He left them standing on their feet
His sheriff's badge shone bright
And little did the people know
The magic of that night
Now Chuck was sittin' down backstage
Lookin' sharp and mean
If he did not get on stage soon
He was gonna split the scene
He strapped on his old guitar
It hung down real low
And duck-walked up and down that stage
Screamin' "Go Johnny, go!"
Singing hey Chuck Berry
Singing hey Bo Diddley
Come on everybody
Here come Chuck
Here come Bo
Everybody rockin', Johnny, go, go, go
Now John and Yoko took their seats
They didn't come to jam
"We're here to groove on Chuck and Bo
Strickly as two fans"
Chuck said "Bo, let's get it on!"
"There's room for two to play"
The next two hours they proved to all
Rock 'n roll is here to stay
Singing hey Chuck Berry
Singing hey Bo Diddley
Come on everybody
Come on everybody
Singing hey
Singing hey
Hey
Singing hey
Singing hey
Go Johnny, go
Go Johnny, go
Everybody's rockin' in the show
Go Johnny, go
Go Johnny, go
Everybody's rockin', go, go, go
Cross the land
Cross the prairie
Lookin' sleek
Lookin' mean
If you see me
I'm alone
My cry makes something in your heart
Turn to stone
Time has come
Time has past
All mankind has heard my cry
All their shotguns
All their arrows
Are drivin' all the wild ones to the sky
They call me gypsy wolf
They call me gypsy wolf
In the north of Manitoba
Feelin' hungry
Feelin' bold
You know I'm waitin'
Near your fire
For the moment
It grows cold
Watch out!
I'm a loner
I'm the last of the pack
You know I'm goin' into exile
But you know damn well
That I'll be back
They call me gypsy wolf
They call me gypsy wolf
You turn around and see the man
45 at his side
Keep on boppin' down the street
Knowin' you got somethin' to hide
Your head is high
Your eyes are down
You're walkin' on sneakers
Don'tcha make a sound
You gotta wake up now
And realize
It's hard to see the truth
When you're raised on lies
We gotta get away
From this madness (madness)
We go a confrontation
For the situation
You keep your closets clean, my friend
And never let the man get satisfaction
You hold your own
You keep your cool
And get yourself ready for the next reaction
My friends, they are thrown in jail
They can't get out
They ain't got no bail
You're like a cat sittin' up on a fence
Your momma's out workin' for 25ยข
We gotta get away
From this madness (madness)
We got to look ahead
See it clear
Put aside all our fears
I keep movin' on
Can't stand it here
I keep puttin' down now all our fear
We gotta confrontation
For the situation
I just can't believe it, lord
I feel like I do
Life's all so bitter, lord
It's hard to get through
I feel so hurt inside
So broken in two
It takes all I've got to give
To live like I do
Life is so cruel
It's hard to get through
I'm just a fool
For makin' it true
I try to be honest, lord
I try to be kind
But others just prove to me
I'm wasting my time
It's so much harder
With all that they do
But it could be better
If only they knew
Life is so cruel
It's hard to get through
I'm just a fool
For makin' it true
Back in the fifties
Mama left me to stay
Way up on a ridge
In my house back in the hills of P.A.
Stick along, listen to me sing this song
Wind Ridge, you'll always be my home
Wind Ridge, what ever did you make me roam?
Wind Ridge, I've been gone too long
If it wasn't for the memories I wouldn'a wrote this song
People come for miles
To see the Jacktown fair
Just a sittin' in the mornin'
Watchin' 'em pull into town
Stick around you can gas up at the "Jot 'Em Down"
I wish I had time to tell ya
'Bout all the folks I know
I'd tell ya 'bout ole Horsehead
And good ole Gurty too
But what would it matter to you
Up on Wind Ridge, you'll always be my home
Wind Ridge, what ever did you make me roam?
Wind Ridge, I've been gone too long
If it wasn't for the memories I wouldn'a wrote this song
If it wasn't for the memories I wouldn'a wrote this song
If it wasn't for the memories I wouldn'a wrote this song
If it wasn't for the memories I wouldn'a wrote this song
Do, ah, the power boogie
Let's do the power boogie
I hope you all been thinking 'bout the things that we're trying to say
Well we've been taking our message from New York out to L.A.
Now we'd like to see you moving and we want everybody to sway
And there ain't no reason why you can't all boogie today
Get up! Get it on!
Kick off your shoes
Take it to the White House
You got nothin' to lose
Do the power boogie (power boogie)
Do the power boogie (power boogie)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, power boogie (power boogie)
The rockin', rockin', rockin' power boogie
Tell like it is, put it on the line
Get another bottle of that wine
I'd like to show you all about how to give yourselves a treat
Raise your fist in the air and shake it as you move your feet
Now we all come together and we're dancing to that rockin' beat
And there ain't no reason why you can't all take it to the streets
Get up! Get it on!
Kick off your shoes
Take it to the White House
You got nothin' to lose
Power boogie (power boogie)
Doin' the power boogie (power boogie)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, power boogie (power boogie)
Everybody stand
Don't you look so sour
We don't need no flower power
Now is the hour
Clap hands everybody for the power boogie
Come on, let's hear that energy
Come on, we got the people energy now, right?
We want the people power now
Come on and give them power
Yeah
Alright, everybody's power
Yeah
Come on, we need all the power
Yeah
Come on, give us that power
Aw yeah
Let's use that power now
And get up and try to dance
Aw come on, now
Aw dance
Come on, dance
Come on, dance
Come on, dance
Come on, dance
Dance with your sister
Dance with your brother
Dance with your papa
Dance with your mother
Dance with your friend
Dance with your foe
Dance with your baby
Dance on the law
Dance in the streets
Dance in the jails
Dance in the subway
Dance off your tails
Dance in the trees
Dance in the sack
Dance with the man with the mongoose on his back
And now we're doin' the power boogie
Aw do the power boogie, now
Yeah, yeah, yeah, power boogie
The rockin', rockin', rockin' power boogie, now baby
Everybody stand
Don't you look so sour
I don't need no flower power
Now is the hour
Now jumpup everybody
We're rockin', the place is jumpin'
Everybody's rockin' now
We're rockin' to the east
Rockin' to the west
Everybody's rockin', rock us to the bed
Napkins on the floor
Hope you all be back for more
We'll see you later
We're the local Plastic Ono Band
and we come here to play for show
John and Yoko couldn't make it today
but they showed us what to do.
Shake your fists and move your ass
put your cocinos into the air
We're having Nixon for dinner tonight
We hope you like him rare
We the local Plastic Ono Band
and we come here to save your show
John and Yoko cooldn't make it today
but they send this message to you:
Keep the elephant fed peanuts
Oh mucho war you'll see
With coca-ine in ma nose
Make Alabama free, whoo!
We da local Plastic Ono Band
we're sorry you wait and stay
We stoppin on the Moon
before we reach Mars
Got a planetary guest to play